No matter your faith, there's no denying that the Oakland Mormon Temple is a beautiful site. If you're from the Bay Area, you may have seen it glowing on the hillsides late at night. Here is a shot of Luz and her groom in front of the temple. "Luz" means "light" in Spanish and I'm happy to see that the makeup complimented her inner glow. Glowing is easy when you're in love!
Because Luz's skin is so naturally flawless, I used a tinted moisturizer giving just enough coverage and to even out the skin. A soft mauve eyeshadow all over the lid, a deeper heather purple in the crease, subtle eyeliner and defined brows were all she needed to make her look picture perfect. Congrats you two!
to me! Today is the big Two Six (which means that much closer to the big Three Oh... eek!) The one gift I can give to myself (and all of you) is to remember to use eye cream every day and night. All around the eyelids at night and on the under eye only during the day.
My favorites I've tried include: -Bobbi Brown Extra Eye Repair -La Prairie Anti Aging Eye Cream SPF 15 - A Cellular Intervention Complex (for daytime only) -Shu Uemura Beta-G Reinforcing Eye Cream -Lancôme 'Absolue Eye Precious Cells' Advanced Regenerating & Reconstructing Eye Cream-La Mer the Eye Concentrate -and my tried and true Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream (it has built in primers to keep that under-eye concealer on, which I find myself using more and more these days)I am a slave to my eye cream. Because the one thing I never want to give myself is premature crow's feet. Off to enjoy this sunny day (slathered in sunscreen, of course)!
Update: I had a wonderful day full of surprises that included a mirror maze, pinball, carousel ride and dinner at my favorite restaurant Roy's (Dear misoyaki butterfish, I love you so much. Love, Michaela). And of course I couldn't resist wearing extra lashes on my special day, because well, why not? Thanks to my family and friend Lindsay who made my birthday so memorable, and especially to my El-Oh-Vee-Ee who put the whole day together!
Baby shampoo. Perhaps a more versatile product than you would imagine. In fact there are many baby products that work for grown-up ladies as well. Here are a few of my favorite baby products (most by Johnson and Johnson) you can use to maintain your tools and keep your skin as soft as a baby's bottom, all for a great low price. Baby wipes are always great to have on hand for wiping off makeup when you're just too tired to wash your whole face. They're also great for cleaning brushes daily. Just swipe the brush over a sheet a few times to loosen up the residue and ensure that there is no leftover color for the next day. Unscented ones are safest to use on sensitive skin. Not only is it great for refreshing your hair, baby shampoo is a gentle way to clean your brushes and is far less expensive than brush cleaner. Simply squeeze a small amount onto your dry hand, swirl the brush in the shampoo until colors begins to fall out of the brush and rinse thoroughly with warm water. Reshape the bristles and squeeze out excess water. Lay brushes flat to dry overnight.Baby oil is nice to use on dry patches of skin, like elbows and knees. You can also use it on a cotton ball to gently remove eye makeup in a pinch.Lately my favorite lotion has been Johnson's Bedtime in this pretty lavender bottle. It's a great scent that always allows me to drift off into dreamland. Use it during the day to smell sweet as a baby!
This post is inspired by a conversation I had with a co-worker about the importance of keeping your brushes clean. Too often I've been over to friends' homes and am appalled by the dirty makeup sponges, caked brushes and old mascara. Here are some helpful tips for keeping things clean and fresh: - Throw out sponges once a week. At about 10 cents a piece you can afford to replace them often. Otherwise you are just pressing bacteria and rancid oils back onto your face. Eew! - Tissue off residue on brushes and eyelash curlers after use if you don't have time to wash them. These tools can harbor a lot of bacteria if not cleaned regularly. - Wash brushes once a week too. A gentle lather of baby shampoo does just the trick without loosening the glue that keeps the bristles together. Just don't soak the brush or you could end up compromising the quality and tapered ends. - Ever catch a whiff of that fishy smell when you open your mascara? It's a telltale sign that it should be thrown out! Purchase a new mascara every 3 months, foundation and other liquid products every 6. You'd be surprised at how much better fresh make up can wear and how much better it is for your skin and eyes. - Avoid sharing products such as lip gloss, mascara or other eye products. Though risk of infection is minimal, you never can be too careful! - Quick industry tip: When trying on lipstick at the makeup counter, be sure to ask consultants to disinfect the lipstick bullet. All it takes is a quick spray of alcohol and a few swipes on clean tissue. Alcohol doesn't affect the color or quality of the product and you never know who tried the lipstick on before you.
I hope this is helpful! Please remember to clean and replace often. Your face will thank you for it!
This isn't really good advice. But I thought it was too funny not to share.
Like the star of the video below, I also use two mascaras every day. 1) Shu Uemura waterproof Precise Volume mascara is a great smudge-proof base that fans the lashes out and really lifts them like a good push up bra (it may soon be hard to find as the company is leaving the US!) and 2) Bobbi Brown Perfectly Defined mascara separates and thickens and is a tubing mascara that scrubs off in threads without remover. For Asian eyes that always smudge, these are my fool-proof favorites.
I've never tried the vibrating mascara wands discussed in the video, but I'm willing to try out her suggestion. Does save on batteries, don't you think?
Yesterday. Sorry for the lack of posts recently, but I've been working a lot and finishing up my thesis and grad school. SO close to being finished!
Just wanted to make a quick note on yesterday, a day that reminded me of all the fun things in a lady's life. While working Saturday I had the pleasure on designing looks for a variety of ladies and usually I help people who want something for the every day.
Not yesterday. I could not believe that each one was attending a special event: a bride to be, two girls attending their senior prom, a young lady going to take her engagement photos, a woman attending her very own baby shower, and a birthday girl. I was so excited! The day went by quickly and did not feel like work at all. Every single person was excited and happy and literally on the verge of a new moment in life.
Yesterday made me happy. I hope I helped make those ladies happy too!
Here is a shot of Luz and her groom in front of the temple. "Luz" means "light" in Spanish and I'm happy to see that the makeup complimented her inner glow. Glowing is easy when you're in love!
